Tag Archives: Epcot

From the lovely Epcot in Orlando, Florida…here is Spaceship Earth in HDR. If you ever wanted to learn more about this structure…here are some details from the web…

Geometrically, Spaceship Earth is a derivative of a pentakis dodecahedron. It is a Class 2 Frequency 16 Icosahedron, with each of the 60 isosceles triangle faces divided into 16 smaller triangles (with a bit of fudging to make it rounder). Each of those 960 flat panels is sub-divided into four triangles, each of which is divided into three isosceles triangles to form each point. In theory, there are 11,520 total isosceles triangles forming 3840 points. In reality, some of those triangles are partially or fully nonexistent due to supports and doors; there are actually only 11,324 silvered facets, with 954 partial or full flat triangular panels.

The appearance of being a monolithic sphere is an architectural goal that was achieved through a structural trick. Spaceship Earth is in fact two structural domes. Six legs are supported on pile groups that are driven up to 160 feet into Central Florida’s soft earth. Those legs support a steel box-shaped ring at the sphere’s perimeter, at about 30 degrees south latitude in earth-terms. The upper structural dome sits on this ring. A grid of trusses inside the ring supports two helical structures of the ride and show system. Below the ring, a second dome is hung from the bottom, completing the spherical shape. The ring and trusses form a table-like structure which separates the upper dome from the lower. Supported by and about three feet off of the structural domes is a cladding sphere to which the shiny Alucobond panels and drainage system are mounted.

The cladding was designed so that when it rains, no water pours off the sides onto the ground. All water is collected through one-inch gaps in the facets into a gutter system, and finally channeled into the World Showcase Lagoon.

The photo above is of Mothership Earth at Epcot. Quite a great subject for photography. Anything spherical using a fisheye lens can lead to a fun shot. Tough to deny using this lens in such a situation. I was about 1 foot away from the middle beam ahead and pointed my tripod upwards to get this effect. Kinda looks like a transformer or maybe something from Logan’s Run (I may be dating myself). I think you can photograph this big golf ball for hours. Yeah, you can take the generic shots, but the fun is to grab something different. Thanks fisheye lens!

From my visit to Epcot….it is hard to pass up taking Infrared shots of the characters in hedge/flower form! Mickey and Minnie are looking a bit different today! Farming a few odd looking crops. Epcot was amazingly a great spot for taking IR shots. Thanks to sunny warm Florida!

I got to thinking…what does EPCOT mean…so here is some info from the web: The name Epcot derives from the acronym EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), a utopian city of the future planned by Walt Disney. Disney’s original vision of EPCOT was for a model community, home to twenty thousand residents, which would be a test bed for city planning and organization. This vision was not realized. Disney was not able to obtain funding and permission to start work on his Florida property until he agreed to build the Magic Kingdom first. Disney died before the Magic Kingdom opened and the Walt Disney Company decided that it did not want to be in the business of running a city.

The theme park originally was known as EPCOT Center to reflect the fact that the park was built to embody the ideals and values of EPCOT the city. The park consists of two sections—Future World and World Showcase—laid out in an hourglass shape. Both sections are patterned after the types of exhibits found at world expositions. In its early years, Epcot was often called a “permanent World’s Fair.”

The total cost of the park is estimated at $1.4 billionand taking three years to build (at the time the largest construction project on Earth)Covering an area of 300 acres (120 ha), it is more than twice the size of The Magic Kingdom.The parking lot serving the park is 141 acres (57 ha) (including bus area) and can accommodate 11,211 vehicles (grass areas hold additional 500+ vehicles).

From a few weeks back at EPCOT…this is Mothership Earth in HDR with a little Color Efex Pro added. I’ll admit I love this sphere…this day I took almost every angle possible afternoon and night. The triangular structures on the sphere create a cool 3-D effect. The light reflects wonderfully all over…any time of day! Nice design Disney!! Kudos!!

Info from the web: The appearance of being a monolithic sphere is an architectural goal that was achieved through a structural trick. Spaceship Earth’s is in fact two structural domes. Six legs are supported on pile groups that are driven up to 160 feet into Central Florida’s soft earth. Those legs support a steel box-shaped ring at the sphere’s perimeter, at about 30 degrees south latitude in earth-terms. The upper structural dome sits on this ring. A grid of trusses inside the ring supports the two helical structures of the ride and show system. Below the ring, a second dome is hung from the bottom, completing the spherical shape. The ring and trusses form a table-like structure which separates the upper dome from the lower. Supported by and about three feet off of the structural domes is a cladding sphere to which the shiny Alucobond panels and drainage system are mounted. The cladding was designed so that when it rains, no water pours off the sides onto the ground. (All water is “absorbed” through one inch gaps in the facets and is collected in a gutter system – and finally channeled into the World Showcase Lagoon.)

From a few weeks back….here is another Epcot shot in Infrared. I walked past the scene and could not pass it up! There is an island area between China and Germany this is where this nice view is located. I enjoyed my visit to Epcot…but truthfully too expensive for a one day visit. Here is some info from the web:

Beyond Future World, if entering from the main gate at Epcot theme park, is the World Showcase area. World Showcase is a collective of Pavilions that wrap around the World Showcase Lagoon. Inside the Pavilions, find shops, attractions and restaurants that represent the culture and cuisine of these 11 countries:

Mexico

Norway

China

Germany

Italy

United States

Japan

Morocco

France

United Kingdom

Canada

While walking between Pavilions, be amused by live performers—some may even invite you to participate in the show! There’s also plenty of kid-centric entertainment, too, like Disney Character meet and greet locations and Kidcot fun stops. At Kidcot stations, kids can create one-of-a-kind souvenirs.

When I visited Epcot a few weeks back…this was my target shot…sunset /blue hour of Spaceship Earth. The beautiful sphere at the entrance at Epcot. It is a challenge as there are many people walking by…so timing and the crowds being nice enough to see you have a tripod set up and walk around. Patience does pay off. I was here for about an hour taking many shots until the sky went beyond the blue hour. The sphere slowly colorizes. So the better shots all depend on when this occurs….and you hope it is a perfect time in the sky! For me it was a bit after sunset and the sky was a nice blue. Thanks Mother Nature! I’ll have a few more shots of the cool sphere in posts to come…another cool shot I had was directly under the sphere using a fisheye lens! I very different perspective!

Info from the web: Spaceship Earth is the iconic and symbolic structure of Epcot, a theme park that is part of the Walt Disney World Resort. One of the most recognizable structures at the Walt Disney World Resort, it is not only the centerpiece and main focal point of Epcot, but also the name of the attraction housed within the 18-story geodesic sphere that takes guests on a time machine themed experience using the Omnimover system. The 13-minute dark ride shows guests how advancements in human communication have helped to create the future one step at a time. The attraction involves a timeline from the origins of prehistoric man to the dawn of the 21st century, where guests can then create a future for themselves.

The structure is similar in texture to the United States pavilion from Expo 67 in Montreal, but unlike that structure, Spaceship Earth is a complete sphere, supported on legs. The structure is often humorously referred to as a giant golf ball.

Geometrically, Spaceship Earth is a derivative of a pentakis dodecahedron, with each of the 60 isosceles triangle faces divided into 16 smaller equilateral triangles (with a bit of fudging to make it rounder)[citation needed]. Each of those 960 flat panels is sub-divided into four triangles, each of which is divided into three isosceles triangles to form each point. In theory, there are 11,520 total isosceles triangles forming 3840 points. In reality, some of those triangles are partially or fully nonexistent due to supports and doors; there are actually only 11,324 of them, with 954 partial or full flat panels.

The appearance of being a monolithic sphere is an architectural goal that was achieved through a structural trick. Spaceship Earth’s is in fact two structural domes. Six legs are supported on pile groups that are driven up to 160 feet into Central Florida’s soft earth. Those legs support a steel box-shaped ring at the sphere’s perimeter, at about 30 degrees south latitude in earth-terms. The upper structural dome sits on this ring. A grid of trusses inside the ring supports the two helical structures of the ride and show system. Below the ring, a second dome is hung from the bottom, completing the spherical shape. The ring and trusses form a table-like structure which separates the upper dome from the lower. Supported by and about three feet off of the structural domes is a cladding sphere to which the shiny Alucobond panels and drainage system are mounted.

The cladding was designed so that when it rains, no water pours off the sides onto the ground. (All water is “absorbed” through one inch gaps in the facets and is collected in a gutter system – and finally channeled into the World Showcase Lagoon.)

Oh yes, one camera note…my cable release pin connection is worn out and no longer working…too many HDR’s??….so my HDR’s for a bit to come will be completed by pressing the button! As long as you are steady and careful…your pics will be ok! I hope to get the camera sent back for repair in May. A few weeks without a camera? Yikes! What will I do? Read?? LOL

Like this:

I was in Orlando last week and finished work one afternoon and decided to head to Epcot around 5 PM. It was a nice bright sunny day! Tough to shoot HDR’s in the sun…so I decided to exclusively shoot IR until near sunset! I had never visited Epcot…so it was a learning experience. It is a small park…I walked and took photos – one lap took me about 1 hour. That does not include stopping in each country and seeing the sights. Just taking a walk about. Epcot has water, trees, and some great architecture…so perfect for IR this afternoon!

I took about 100 IR photos and knew it was a good call! This shot is of the Spaceship Earth Sphere in the background. A very eye catching subject! Could it be the Bio Dome? Yes, I admit to enjoying that movie with Pauly Shore! Simple humor cannot be beat! As I have tons of IR shots from here…I’ll try to add them slowly in the next year…but I will post an HDR of the Spaceship Earth at sunset this week! Very cool! More details from Epcot on Saturday! Have fun!